1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for adding a print medium digitally to a print system, the print system is configured to print on approved print media and comprises a control unit for controlling print system parameters to be applied when printing on the print medium, a print engine for printing marking material on the print medium, an input section for receiving the print medium in the print system, and a receiving section for receiving print jobs submitted to the print system.
The method comprises the steps of a) receiving the print medium in the input section, and b) loading a test job in the receiving section, the test job comprises, as a print job property, the print medium with prescribed print system parameters.
2. Description of the Background Art
To run a certain print medium on a print system, the print system needs to use prescribed print system parameters. For a cut sheet inkjet printer, important values include a total area coverage (TAC), i.e. an amount of marking material that can be placed on the print medium, a distance from the print head to the print medium, and a color profile to be applied. A TAC that is too high for the print medium may result in marking material deposition inside the print engine, as pollution or smearing, and when printed for a longer time, will result in damage to the print engine. Other print system parameters influence the print quality and the amount of sheets that are rejected by the print system due to deformation of the sheets.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,050,196 B1, a method is revealed to print a test sheet to visually determine a maximal ink coverage. However, marking material deposition inside the print engine is not detected.
As determining values for print system parameters that result in optimal print quality and runnability requires printing a significant amount of print media, time, and specialized hardware, a user of the print system can currently choose print media that has been pre-tested by a supplier of the print media, and from which media definitions has been made available.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for users that want to use their own print medium, and do not want to wait for the supplier, to test the print medium. Another object is to provide a method to find print system parameters that are adequate for a customer's usage, and will not result in damage to the print engine. Another object of the present invention is a print system in which the method is implemented.